My Approach to Psychotherapy
If you are reading this now, you have probably been thinking about therapy and whether this is the right time for you to explore this process.
Reaching out to a therapist can be difficult, often done in moments of deep personal crisis or emotional distress. Many clients feel anxious before their first session but also come with hope – hope for care, healing and personal growth. Common questions I am asked at the start are “What’s your approach to therapy? What tools do you use to help? How do I get rid of this pain?”
My approach, which prioritises your emotional and psychological safety, is grounded in the idea of the therapeutic space as a temenos. Whether online or face-to-face, a temenos is, above all, a safe space dedicated to your healing and transformation. Fearing neither blame nor judgement, in this protected space you can safely begin to explore yourself, your relationships and your inner world. As described by Siegelman:
“In this temenos [therapeutic space] what is inside does not leak out and what is outside does not break in. It is set off from the ordinary world by a magic circle of privacy, quiet, closed doors and a fixed time – as well as by the protective steadiness of the therapist (Siegelman, 1990)”
As we begin your journey of self-discovery, my approach centres on listening deeply to your story and the challenges you face. I view therapy as a unique helping relationship where the therapist observes but is also a caring fellow traveller and a steady supportive companion. As we journey together, we can slow down, allowing ourselves to be curious and reflective about your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Deeper understandings of self-defeating relationships can be forged, painful or threatening physical and emotional experiences approached, new connections made with shamed or traumatised parts of yourself, and greater balance achieved of distorted narratives about who and what you are.
My approach in this space of exploration and discovery encourages spontaneous expression of whatever arises in your mind and body, using words, dreams, imagination, drawings or paintings. The therapeutic process is dynamic, moving between and weaving together the conscious and the unconscious, the past and the present, the here-and-now moment and the there-and-then memory, the mature adult and the vulnerable child. This holding together of opposite aspects of ourselves opens the way for deep transformative work and lasting change.
Over time you may notice heightened self-awareness, a new capacity to create and enjoy rewarding relationships, an authentic sense of personal identity and an ability to tap into what makes life meaningful and fulfilling. These are enduring gifts from your therapeutic journey – treasures that nourish and benefit you long after therapy has drawn to a close.